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Umpire O'Nora leaves game with flu-like symptoms

4/26/13: Home-plate umpire Brian O'Nora leaves the game with an apparent illness and is replaced behind the dish by Adrian Johnson

By Spencer Fordin
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MLB.com |

NEW YORK -- The Mets and Phillies had a rare delay due to an umpire illness on Friday night. Home-plate umpire Brian O'Nora made it through the night's first six batters before leaving the game due to flu-like symptoms in the bottom of the first inning.

O'Nora sprinted off the field with two outs and a runner on second base in the bottom of the first, and the two teams endured a delay of 14 minutes before the game resumed without O'Nora. Adrian Johnson, who had been working first base, moved behind the plate to spell O'Nora.

"Brian O'Nora got very ill," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "It came on very fast. He came to the dugout because he was going to be sick to his stomach and certainly was. He couldn't go back out."

Crew chief Fieldin Culbreth, who started out working second base, moved to Johnson's vacated position at first base and the game continued without incident. The Mets' cleanup hitter, David Wright, was at the plate when the delay occurred and wound up flying out to right field.

Spencer Fordin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.